The Perfect Child
by VanessaAnnex3
Summary: With their daughter being presumed as dead for nearly 10 years, Troy and Gabriella have tried to live their life as normal as possible. But, will a new lead revive skeletons from their closet?
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental. _

* * *

_1_

"_Higher, daddy. Higher!"_

_A 28-year-old Troy Bolton chuckled as he pushed his 5-year-old higher on the swing set. "Any higher and you'll go towards the moon, Madison."_

_Yet, his daughter continued to persist in going higher._

_His wife, Gabriella, smiled at her husband and daughter as she sat on their picnic blanket a few feet away. She was spending the wonderful summer day with her family in the park, liking for once that they both had the day off from their stressful jobs. She was a social worker in Los Angeles, working hard to help the little children that need strength from people who cared. Her husband was a police detective, recently being promoted by the LAPD nearly two years ago. He had worked hard to become a simple police officer and being promoted was a dream come true for him. _

_But for now, they were just glad that they had a day off for once. There was no trouble in the city, no children were lost, and the town was in high spirits. The sun was shining on the blissful Saturday, birds were chirping high in the sky, and families were taking advantage of this day._

_Of course, they normally had sunny days in Los Angeles. But, this just seemed to be one of those perfect, sunny days. Why wouldn't families take advantage of it?_

"_Guys, come get your lunch!" shouted Gabriella, pulling out baggies of PB&J sandwiches. Her husband was the king of sandwiches, as he put it._

_Spotting the sandwiches, Madison jumped off the swing and sprinted towards the blanket. "Yay! Daddy's famous sandwich!"_

_Troy followed her, making sure she didn't trip on her untied shoes. She did have a tendency to be clumsy. "Be careful, honey."_

_Madison sat in her mother's lap as she began chomping on her sandwich. She moaned with enjoyment. "Daddy, these are the best!"_

"_He's been making those sandwiches since high school," said Gabriella, tossing a sandwich to her husband as he sat down next to his wife and child._

"_Really?" asked Madison, licking her fingers free of jelly._

_Troy nodded, opening his baggy. "That's how your mom fell in love with me."_

"_Oh yeah. He would just brag about his sandwiches. Although, his pimento cheese was a little sour." Gabriella smirked, eying him._

_Troy held up his finger in protest. "Hey, I didn't realize the cheese was old. That was a one time thing."_

_Gabriella giggled, wrapping her arms around her daughter's waist._

"_Mommy, how long have you and daddy been together?" asked Madison. She always admired her parents relationship. Though she was too young to really understand it all, she always felt like her mom was Cinderella and her dad was Prince Charming._

"_A long time, sweetie," answered Troy._

"_Forever?"_

_He nodded. "Pretty much!"_

_They had been together for what seemed like forever. He had met her at East High School in Albuquerque when they were only sixteen. It was love at first sight. Though they had ups and downs with jealous and arguments, they managed to stick it through. They attended the University of California in Los Angeles together and liked the city so much, they decided to stay to pursue their future and careers together._

_Troy proposed to her at their college graduation and nearly a year later, they married in a beautiful ceremony with their family and close friends. On their honeymoon to Turks and Caicos, Gabriella had found out she was pregnant with Madison. It had to have been the most amazing wedding present they could have gotten._

_Since then, they have managed to raise Madison as a splendid child. She was full of spirit and loved everything around her. She was to start kindergarten in a few months and showed no signs of nervousness. She must have gotten that from her father, considering Gabriella was full of nerves once she started her first day of school._

_Madison, though, looked exactly like Gabriella. She had wavy, dark hair that fell to her waist. Her skin held the same olive complexion and she had curvy cheeks surrounding her angel eyes, which had Troy's possession of blue. _

_She was the perfect child._

"_Troy?"_

_Troy broke out of his reverie and smiled at his wife. "Yes?"_

"_You okay?" she asked._

"_Of course. I was just thinking about everything that has led up to our beautiful life," he said. _

_Gabriella smiled and pecked his lips lightly. _

"_Eww! Gross!" squealed Madison. She hated when her parents showed affection in front of her._

_Her parents laughed at her._

_Troy began playfully mocking her before sending her to the ground, tickling her sides with glee. Gabriella covered her face with delight as her husband and daughter laughed while tickling each other to death._

_They were the perfect family._

_Troy picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms. "You know we love you, right?"_

"_I love you too," said Madison, looking at both of her parents. _

_Gabriella kissed her daughter's cheek. "You're going to grow up to be a wonderful girl."_

"_And, you won't have a boyfriend until you are 40." Troy pretended to sternly point his finger, though he was half-serious._

"_Got it!" said Madison, going along with her parents. She wasn't sure what a boyfriend was, but she always listened to her parents. She never wanted to go against them. They were her heroes. She understood that they saved lives by giving protection and that's why she considered them her heroes._

"_Mommy? Daddy? Can I go play in the sandbox? I want to build a princess castle," said Madison._

"_Sure, honey."_

_Troy and Gabriella watched as their daughter ran over to the sandbox where other kids were playing. They smiled when she immediately began scrunching her face up, formulating a castle in her mind. Troy laughed lightly as he looked at his wife._

"_She sure is smart," she said._

"_She gets it from her beautiful mother," complimented Troy. He put his hand on her thigh, barely brushing up in her sundress with his fingers._

_Gabriella smirked at him. "You're such a kiss up."_

"_No, but I do love to kiss you." He lightly kissed her lips, bringing his other hand up in her soft curls._

_She smiled and pulled back after a minute, tugging lightly on his shirt. "You know what tomorrow is?"_

_Troy pretended to look clueless. "Sunday?"_

_Gabriella pinched his chest, which caused no reaction considering he was ripped._

_He laughed. "I know what it is. 5 years since we have been married. And, I have quite the surprise for you."_

"_Oh! What is it?" she asked. Her eyes were immediately bright._

"_Now, I will not ruin the surprise." He poked her nose lightly before kissing it._

_Gabriella smiled and looked over, wanting to keep an eye on their daughter. _

_However, when her eyes rolled over towards the sandbox, she had trouble searching for Madison. She furrowed her eyebrows and stood up slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. She saw three little boys and two girls, both with blonde hair. _

_But, no Madison._

"_Troy, did you see Madison leave the sandbox?" asked Gabriella. Her heart began to pound._

_Troy stood up and looked at the sandbox. He began to sweat when he realized she wasn't there. Surely they would have seen her if she went somewhere else on the playground. Plus, she would have told them. She was notorious in always telling her parents where she would go next. _

"_I don't see her," he whispered._

_Gabriella's breath began to pick up as she clutched at her throat, gasping for breath. "Oh my God."_

_Troy turned to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, breathe. Look, she has to be somewhere around here. Let's just look all over the playground, okay?"_

_They began searching the slides, the swings, the jungle gym, and the benches around the playground and the park. They called out her name and asked people if they had seen her. The more they asked, the more strangers helped them in searching for their 5-year-old. _

_After searching for nearly 20 minutes, they knew that something was desperately wrong. Gabriella collapsed on her stomach, grasping the grass in agony as she sobbed over the loss of her child. Troy rushed over to his wife and pulled her into his arms, rocking her back and forth as she sobbed. He tried to keep his tears at bay as he looked around the park, hoping to still find her. His tears soon fell as he came to the inevitable truth._

_His daughter had been kidnapped._

* * *

Troy slowly opened his eyes, catching his breath as he looked at the rays of sun that shone on the ceiling from the balcony window in the bedroom. He sighed and rubbed his face, feeling the familiar sweat that always appeared when he had the same memory as a nightmare.

It had been 10 years since the unfortunate kidnapping of his daughter. Throughout those few years, there had been a nationwide search filled with the California news, CNN, talk shows, magazines, and much more. There had never been one lead and if there was, it would have led them straight to nothing. When it had been only 15 months, the police and detectives in Los Angeles and around the nation closed the case, determining she was dead. It had devastated Gabriella, causing her to be out of work for 6 months while she lived with depression.

It had caused much strain in her marriage with Troy where there were arguments, less romance, and separate bedrooms. However, after they both agreed to counseling to move on, things began to slowly get better in their marriage. Though they had lost the most important aspect of their lives, they didn't want to lose each other.

Now, nearly 10 years later, they still had the distinct pain in their hearts. Everything in their house was still the same. Madison's room was still its five-year-old self. There were still pictures of her on the wall. Her favorite foods were still being purchased and her favorite shows were always on when they were scheduled for reruns or new episodes.

They didn't want anything to change that would cause her memory to be erased.

"Honey?"

Troy felt a nudge and looked to his side, seeing his beautiful wife look at him with concern. "Yes?"

She could easily feel his sweat. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged and sighed, sitting up in bed. "You know exactly what's wrong."

Gabriella pursed her lips and looked away from him, controlling her emotions. She couldn't cry, though. All her tears had ran dry through the years. She could feel the familiar depression creep up on her, but she willed herself to remain calm.

Troy looked down at her and sighed, laying back down with her. He hovered over her body, kissing her cheek. "I'm sorry if I sounded snappy."

"You weren't," she said. She looked up at him and touched his cheek. "We have to get ready for work."

"I know. I wish I could just stay here with you," he said.

Gabriella gave him a small smile. "Sadly, we can't afford that. We still have a mortgage to pay."

"I know," he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental. _

* * *

_2_

Troy entered the LAPD building that morning, being greeted by the normal men and women that he saw every day. They offered him greetings that were meant to make his day, though his day would never be a good day. Either he would be stressed with his work load that day or he would just be thinking too much about what he had lost.

He knocked on a door that was wide open, watching a gray-haired man view a file with furrowed eyebrows. The knock caused him to glance up. He had blue eyes and had wrinkles that showed the stress that he had faced throughout the years while in the police force.

"Bolton, good morning."

Troy gave s light nod and walked in, sitting in the leather chair in front of his desk. "Detective Jamison."

"How's the wife?" he asked. He shut the file and sat on the edge of the desk.

"She's good. And yours?" asked Troy, referring to Virginia. She was a retired author.

"She's doing well. Her arthritis seems to be getting worse, though. I get worried every day for her," said Detective Jamison. He shook his head, but then grumbled slightly to toughen up his demeanor.

He was one to never show too much emotion.

"Any new leads on the McMahon case?" asked Troy, referring to the major story that had been going around the world.

Nearly two months ago, there was an eyewitness account of a little boy being kidnapped on a street corner when he was waiting for the bus stop. A license tag was turned into the police, but as soon as they tracked it down in their computers, it came up as a no show. Apparently, the history on the vehicle had been allegedly destroyed in a freak accident.

The person who had kidnapped the little boy was barely visible, only being known as a stocky man that had no hair. His entire face was covered and he was wearing all black. No one was even sure if the little boy was still alive or not.

To Troy, this case was important to him. He didn't want another child to end up like Madison. Nobody else deserved that heartache.

Detective Jamison shook his head. "Nothing so far. But, we do have a new case that has come up. There was a home invasion in Tulelake last night."

"Home invasion?"

"Yes. A man broke into a house and began stealing nearly everything that was valuable. But, we have to get down there fast." Detective Jamison began putting his jacket on with his badge, gesturing for Troy to follow his lead.

Troy was taken aback. He hadn't expected to go out of town today. "We're going right now?"

"It won't take us too long to get there," he said.

"But, why do we have to go? We've never been out of town to work on a case before," argued Troy. What was he going to tell Gabriella?

Detective Jamison stopped in his tracks and turned to Troy. "I don't need any arguments, Troy. Just because we work at the LAPD doesn't mean we aren't a part of any other case in southern California. This community is just around the corner of Los Angeles and we were asked to be a part of the team."

Troy sighed and nodded, feeling bad that he was trying to get out of a case that was important to somebody else and the family of whoever owned the home. "Okay. I'm sorry."

He merely gave Troy a nod before heading back out of the station. Troy followed behind and pulled out his cell phone, speed dialing his wife. It took two rings before she finally answered.

"_Gabriella Bolton speaking,"_ came a quiet voice.

Troy couldn't help but chuckle. "I know you have caller ID on your cell phone. Why do you continue to speak like a professional, even towards me?"

"_Because I am at work, silly."_ She giggled. _"What's up?"_

Troy rubbed the back his neck nervously as he saw his boss looking at him from their car. He was getting impatient. "I might be home a little late."

"_What do you mean? Is everything okay?"_

"Well, there was a home invasion in Tulelake last night."

"_Tulelake? But, that's out of town. Why would you go there?" _asked Gabriella.

"The boss says that, since it is right around the corner from here, we were automatically called to be a part of the team. I'm sorry, babe."

He heard her sigh over the phone. _"Okay. How late do you think you'll be?"_

Troy glanced at his watch. "Well, we won't get there until noon. And, I'm not sure how long the investigation might take. I would plan for at least 6."

Another sigh. _"I'll just leave you dinner in the refrigerator. Be careful."_

"I will. I love you," said Troy.

"_I love you, too." _Click.

Troy sighed and put his phone away, heading towards the car. He knew Gabriella wasn't too happy that he'd be out late, but he had no other choice. This was his job.

* * *

Nearly an hour and half later, they arrived in a tiny, suburban community that was laced with news crews, police cars, and caution tape. Detective Jamison pulled up behind a community police car and turned off the ignition.

Troy was shocked at what he saw. There was yellow caution tape laced around a small, white house that had broken windows and a door ripped off its hinges. He saw a hint of blood on a pillar of the house, meaning something more than an invasion happened last night.

When he got out of the car, he looked at the news crews interviewing neighbors and speaking to the cameras about what they allegedly knew. He noticed that the number news station in California was here, as well. They reported everything that occurred in southern California, no matter what city. He saw them rush over to a girl who was walking her dog.

Troy was immediately rushed over towards the crime scene, accepting the gloves that he was given. He put them on, wondering what exactly they would be seeing. He saw a woman in her early fifties rush out of the house with red on her gloves.

"You guys have to see this," she said.

Everybody rushed into the house, being careful at what they touched. The living room furniture was completely trashed. There was broken glass all over the carpet with picture frames smashed. Troy followed everybody into the kitchen where they saw blood stains on the floor in the shape of footprints. They began to follow the footprints backwards from whence they came. It led them down the hall to a bedroom where they saw something completely shocking.

It was a young woman, who must have been not much older than 27. She was laying on the floor, her eyes wide open in a state of faint shock. Her clothes were ripped off, exposing her completely. She lay in a pool of blood and by the looks of the holes in her forehead and her chest, she had been shot after she had been sexually assaulted.

Troy had to look away when he saw her face. He kept his tears at bay when he noticed immediately that she looked like Gabriella. How could somebody do this to a woman?

A police officer walked over to Troy, putting his hand on his shoulder. "You alright, buddy?"

Troy merely nodded and took in a breath before looking back at the woman. "So, do we know who did this?"

Another detective shook his head. "We aren't sure. We need to talk to the neighbors to find out more information. Although, it is very evident that she had been raped and then murdered."

"Could there have been a motive?" asked a female police officer.

"It's likely, but then again you never know at this day in age. People do some crazy shit." The detective turned to Troy. "You. Go outside the house and see if you can find anymore evidence."

Troy nodded and rushed out of the house. He stopped to take in a breath of fresh air. Seeing that woman was too much for him. What if that had been Gabriella?

He was suddenly bombarded with a news crew that shouted at him, wondering what he had just saw in the house. A mic was shoved into his face unexpectedly.

Troy kept a professional stature. "Right now, I am not at liberty to discuss fully what had happened last night. All I can say is that our prayers go out to the family."

"We noticed blood on the house. Did someone die?" asked the woman holding the mic.

"Unfortunately, yes. Though, I will not discuss how they died. We don't know all the information yet," he said.

"Do you know who may have done it?"

"We will figure that out as soon as possible. Right now, we will be asking the neighbors questions on If they heard anything or if they saw anything."

Troy walked away and went to the side of the house. He began looking to see if there was anything suspicious. He saw something shine in the sunlight and bent down, noticing a bullet. He picked it up and examined it carefully.

"Definitely a pistol," he whispered.

He placed it in a baggy and stood up, looking more around the house. When he got to the other side, he noticed a news crew focusing on the house directly next door. He watched them interview a teenager that looked sort of overwhelmed by the cameras filming her. Yet, she kept her composure as she answered the questions that she was given.

He suddenly furrowed his eyebrows, feeling some sort of connection build off as he watched her. She had short, black hair that reached her shoulders. Her skin was tan from being in the sun so much during the summer. She wore dark jeans and a simple black t-shirt.

The one thing that caught his eye was how she fidgeted with her fingers below her waist.

"Gabriella does the exact same thing," he whispered.

His mind suddenly began to race with questions that he wanted to ask her, but he was soon pulled out of his trance by the detective that told him to search around the house.

"What did you find?" he asked, eying the baggie.

Troy turned away from the house next door and held the baggie up. "I found a bullet. It definitely looks like it's from a pistol."

"Excellent. We'll send this to the lab to have it tested," he said. "Let's go back inside for my investigating."

Troy nodded, but before he followed the detective, he took one last look at the house next door. Unfortunately, the girl was gone and so were the news crew that had been interviewing her.

"I'm just going crazy," he concurred before walking back into the house.

* * *

Later that evening, Troy arrived home to find Gabriella folding a basket of clothes on the dining room table. She looked up at him, surprised.

"You're home early. I thought you said it would be 6?"

He shrugged off his jacket and hung it up, walking over to her. "I know. It's been a rough day, though."

"What happened?" she asked.

Troy sat down in the chair and sighed, feeling Gabriella's hands travel to his shoulders for a massage. "There was more than a home invasion. A girl was raped and murdered."

Gabriella gasped. "Oh my God. Do they know who did it?"

He shook his head. "No, but we're going to find out." He paused, feeling the familiar tears return. "It was horrible. She looked just like you, Gabriella."

She stopped her massage and looked down at him, worried. "What?"

"I couldn't look at her without thinking about you. What if that _had _been you?" he asked.

"But, it wasn't me. I'm right here," she said. She sat on his lap and looked at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," said Troy. He kissed her on the lips before looking back at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Gabriella touched his cheek before getting back up to fold clothes. She suddenly picked up a child's flower dress and looked at it, holding back her tears. She remembered when Madison had worn it to church on Easter Sunday. She felt like such a girl.

Troy watched his wife stare at their child's clothing before she folded it and put it back in the basket. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I just like to remember her happily."

"I know," he said. He didn't want to argue with her and tell her that she was still alive.

Unfortunately, Gabriella started to believe that Madison was dead. Troy believed she was alive somewhere. They would argue about it constantly in the past years, but now they refrained from it. Thanks to their counselor, they managed to hold their opinions about it back.

"I'm going to get ready for bed," said Gabriella.

Troy nodded and watched her go upstairs. He sighed and went into the living room, turning on the television. The number one news in California was on, talking about the home invasion. He turned it up to hear it more clearly.

"_It happened last night when a home invasion occurred in the quiet neighborhood of Tulelake, California. Police and detectives swarmed the neighborhood earlier today, trying to uncover what exactly happened."_

Troy saw his interview appear and made a mental note of how frazzled he looked after seeing the body that looked so much like his wife. He barely even noticed what was going on next until he saw the interview with the neighbor appear.

He nearly fainted when he saw her face. Instead, tears filled his eyes.

Her black hair bounced on her shoulders as she talked animatedly, obviously nervous by the cameras. Her blue eyes peered anywhere but at the cameras as she looked to the right and then the left. She explained how she had felt scared by what happened, explaining that she had been alone in her house when it occurred next door.

Troy barely listened to the story. The only thing he focused on was the girl. Suddenly, the name and age appeared on the screen of who it was. The last name was, for some reason, different. She was 15 years old, but that's not what Troy was focused entirely on. He was focused on her first name. He was focused on how familiar she looked and how she was still going through puberty, meaning she still had a baby face.

He would know that face anywhere in the world.

It was Madison.


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_3_

Troy stood up, staring at Madison on the TV screen. It was his daughter. He knew it in his heart. He would know her face anywhere. He immediately walked over to the bookshelf and drew out a family album. He searched through until he found a profile picture of his daughter at the age of 4. He did double takes with both pictures and nearly broken down in tears when he saw the exact resemblance.

She was alive!

"Gabriella, get down here! Hurry!" shouted Troy. He kept watching the screen to make sure Madison never left. She was still there, talking more about what she knew.

He heard rushed footsteps coming down the stairs and looked at Gabriella's concerned face. "What's the matter?"

Troy rushed towards her, bringing her into the living room. "It's Madison!"

She looked at her husband, shocked and confused. "What?"

He turned back to the TV, but saw only a middle-aged reporter speaking to the camera. His heart dropped at not being able to show Gabriella proof that she was alive. He looked back at his wife, seeing how angry she now looked.

"Honey, you have to believe me. I saw Madison on TV. I saw her when I was working today at that house. She was being interviewed. I was so close to her, but I didn't realize it!"

"Stop it. This is not funny," she whispered. Tears began to brim her eyes as she pointed at Troy angrily.

Troy gently gripped her arms, looking at her. Softly, tears began to run down his cheeks. "I would not lie about this. Our daughter is alive!"

Gabriella withdrew her arms viciously from his grasp, hugging her body as she began to cry silently. "I said stop it! I can't believe you would say this to me. Madison is dead. They _never_ found her!"

"I just saw her!" exclaimed Troy. He moved toward her, but she backed away.

"Enjoy sleeping on the couch," she said before stomping upstairs and slamming the bedroom door.

Troy sighed heavily and went towards the linen closet, grabbing a blanket and an extra pillow. He trudged toward the couch and laid down under the covers, continuously staring at the TV.

Why wouldn't Gabriella believe him? He would never lie about this.

He had to go back to the neighborhood tomorrow. Maybe he would be able to convince the detective that they should investigate more in the house.

He just had to see Madison.

As he began to drift to sleep, he had one question on his mind.

Who had kidnapped Madison and kept her alive?

* * *

The next morning, Troy awoke to the smell of fresh coffee brewing noisily in the kitchen. He opened his eyes and stood up, rather too quickly for his liking. After regaining his composure, he walked into the kitchen and found Gabriella reading the newspaper while eating corn flakes.

"Morning," he said. Hopefully she wouldn't still be mad.

Unfortunately, due to her lack of response, she was still mad.

Troy sighed and went over to Gabriella, though she immediately walked away to clean her bowl. "Gabriella, I know you are mad. But, I would never lie about our daughter. Why won't you believe me?"

She turned around, looking at him with fire in her eyes. "Because Troy! Madison has been gone for ten years. There were no leads on her case, so we had no choice but to assume she was dead."

"No. _You _assumed she was dead. I never gave up hope. You're her mother. You should know better," he said.

"Don't you _dare _call me out like that, Troy! I loved Madison with all of my heart, but I can not go on believing that I will see her again. I had to move on and so should you."

"I _saw _her, Gabriella. Damn it, I am going to prove it you!" Troy slammed his hand on the counter for dramatic effect.

"Do what you want, Troy. I'm going to be late for work." Gabriella grabbed her things and headed for the door. She turned back to Troy. "You'll be staying on that couch again tonight. Indefinitely."

Troy cringed when she slammed the door behind her, causing a picture to fall to the floor and break. He walked over to it and literally felt his heart break.

It was their wedding photo.

* * *

Troy arrived to work nearly an hour later, heading straight to Detective Jamison's office. Without knocking, he entered swiftly to find the detective on the phone. He looked up, perplexed.

"I'll call you back," he said before hanging up the phone. "Troy, what is it?"

"Are we going back to that house today?" asked Troy.

"I hadn't planned on it. There is nothing else to look for in that house. Why?" He stood up and walked over to Troy.

"What if we interviewed the neighbors, though? See what they know?" Troy sighed, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I need to go back to that neighborhood."

"What's this all about, Troy?" asked Detective Jamison, eying Troy cautiously.

"I saw Madison."

Detective Jamison sighed and shook his head, walking over to his desk and sitting down. "Troy, go to your office."

"You don't believe me either? Bradley, I _know _she is alive!" exclaimed Troy, rushing over to the desk. "I saw her on TV when she was being interviewed. She was the neighbor to that house!"

"Troy, you are seeing things. It has been ten years since you lost your daughter. I'm sorry, but she is_ dead_!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Troy angrily. "If you don't leave my office, I will have you suspended."

Troy inwardly growled and walked out, slamming the door behind him. He noticed people staring, but trudged past them toward his office. He started pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair.

He would not give up on this case. This was real. _She _was real! He would never lie about anything when it came to his daughter. And, the girl he saw on TV was his daughter. He knew it in his soul.

He looked down at his desk and spotted the keys to the cruiser he was assigned to. He didn't need anybody to help him when it came to his daughter. He could do this by himself, whether anybody wanted him to or not.

Grabbing the keys, he rushed out of the office and out of the building. He checked behind him to make sure nobody was following him and got into the cruiser. Before he started the car, he pulled out his phone and called Gabriella.

It went straight to voicemail.

"_Hey, this is Gabriella Bolton. If this is related to business, please call my office number at 310-596-3900. If this is personal, leave a message and I will get back to you."_

Troy sighed when he heard the beep. "I know you are still mad, but I am on my way back to that neighborhood. Nobody is going to help me, though. So, I am going by myself. I will find our daughter, whether you believe she is alive or not."

He hung up and sped out of the parking lot, hoping to reach his goal.

* * *

When he arrived in the neighborhood, he searched for the house that he saw Madison at. All he would have to do would be to find the house that had been attacked. When he finally spotted the caution tape around the house, he looked at the house next door. There were no cars in the driveway, though he took advantage and parked at the house.

Keeping his badge in his pocket, he slowly walked up to the house. He noticed that the porch was completely bare except for one dead plant in the corner. Troy automatically figured something fishy was going on for a porch to be this bare.

He stared at the white door and knocked on it twice before ringing the doorbell three times. A small, yet loud bark could be heard from the inside. He didn't hear any footsteps, though. He looked around, wondering if anybody had noticed him in the neighborhood yet. So far, nobody was peering through their windows or coming out of their houses with shotguns.

He was about to walk away when he heard a chain unlock and the bolt loosen on the door. His heart began pounding in his chest when the door slowly opened. He almost fell to his knees in tears when he saw his daughter answer the door.

Madison looked up at Troy, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She held a Yorkie in her arms, who was still growling. "Can I help you?"

Troy cleared his throat and held out his badge. "Detective Troy Bolton. Is it alright if I ask you a few questions about the invasion?"

"You know, I've seen Law and Order. You're not going to be like those cops, are you? To me, they're annoying." Madison shushed the Yorkie quietly.

Troy chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No. I don't even watch those shows, if you'd believe it. Can I come in?"

"How do I know you won't hurt me?" asked Madison.

He had to stop himself from mentioning that he was her father and that he'd never hurt her. "You can trust me. I've been at the LAPD for many years. I'm completely professional."

Madison sighed and walked back into the house, allowing Troy access to the inside. Troy shut the door and watched as she set the dog down. He looked around, seeing many pictures of Madison when she was younger and how she looked now. He saw school pictures, photos with friends, and birthday parties.

He had to control his emotions, hating himself for missing these special memories that she should have had with her real family. He had missed so much in her life.

"You can have a seat, you know." Madison sat on the couch, watching him cautiously.

Troy nodded and sat in a loveseat, clearing his throat. "So, where were you when the invasion happened?"

Madison sighed, due to the fact she had already talked about this. "I was here, at home. I was getting ready for bed when I heard a crash. I thought nothing of it at first, but then I started hearing screams."

"What else did you hear?" asked Troy.

"I heard more screams that sounded more guttural. Then, I heard nothing." She bit her bottom lip.

Troy almost gasped at the sight. Gabriella always bit her lip when she was thinking. Madison had inherited it from her mother. Once again, he had to control his emotions.

"Did you see anything?" he asked.

"Well, I went outside to see what had happened. All I saw were broken windows and glass on the lawn. I didn't know what to do. I was going to call the cops, but then my dad appeared from the doorway and told me to come inside."

"Did your father hear the noises?" asked Troy, though inside he was screaming. Was her "father" the kidnapper?

"No. He wasn't home, but I guess he pulled up when I wasn't looking. I didn't want to make him mad, so I went inside." Madison soon had a far away look in her eyes as she stared at the ground.

Troy looked at his daughter, wondering what she was thinking about. This man was most certainly not her father, but how was he supposed to convince Madison the truth?

"Madison, how much do you know about your father?" asked Troy.

Madison looked up, furrowing her eyebrows. "I never told you my name."

"I saw it on the news," said Troy. He cleared his throat once again. "How much do you know about your father?"

"Why are you asking about my father? He had nothing to do with the invasion," said Madison.

"I'm not saying he did, Madison." Troy suddenly noticed a few bruises on her wrist that she kept rubbing in nervousness. "How did you get those bruises?"

Madison glanced down and pulled her sleeve over her wrist. "I fell."

"Everybody uses that excuse. Did your father do that to you?" Troy couldn't help but to show his anger. He was immediately in protective father mode.

"No!" she exclaimed. "My father loves me! He tells me and shows me every day!"

"How does he show you? Does he rape you?" asked Troy, standing up.

"What kind of cop are you? You're being crazy! You're supposed to be asking me about the invasion, yet you keep asking about my father," she said.

"That's not your father!" exclaimed Troy, blurting out his thoughts incoherently.

Madison looked at Troy with utter confusion, shock, and surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Where is your mother, Madison?"

"I-I don't know! She ran out on us or something."

Troy couldn't control his thoughts anymore. "Madison, he is not your father. I know who your real father is. You have a mother, too. She loves you so much."

"Detective, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you have no right to be talking this crazy shit when I don't even know you!" yelled Madison.

"Watch your mouth young lady," said Troy sternly, pointing his finger at her.

Suddenly, her demeanor changed. She backed away slowly, shaking her head with fear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry. Please don't hurt me."

Troy looked at her and sighed, kneeling down to her level. "I won't hurt you, Madison. I'm sorry that I'm acting this way, but I have a very good reason."

"I don't even know you," whispered Madison, looking at him.

He took out his wallet and pulled out a photo of Gabriella smiling with glee. "Do you know who this is?"

Madison looked at the photo, furrowing her eyebrows. She took in the brown eyes, black hair, and olive toned skin. "She's pretty."

"She's my wife. Gabriella is her name." Troy stood up and took the photo, leading Madison to a mirror. He placed the photo in her view as she looked at herself. "What do you see when you look at the photo and yourself?"

Madison looked at the photo and at herself multiple times. She shrugged, stammering. "I-I guess I kind of look like her. But, that doesn't mean anything. I don't have a mother."

"Yes you do." Troy looked at her. "I'm not trying to scare you, Madison. I'm trying to rescue you."

"Rescue me?"

Troy looked around and noticed a phone on the wall. He picked it up and began dialing Gabriella's work number. He looked at Madison, who looked even more confused than ever.

"_Gabriella Bolton."_

"It's me. Don't hang up," said Troy.

Gabriella sighed. _"Troy, what do you want?"_

He looked at Madison, tears brimming his eyes. This was it. He knew that this would be the moment when everything came into place for them. He spoke through his unshed tears. "I have someone that you should talk to."

"_What are you talking about?"_

Troy handed the phone to Madison. She simply stared at it, confused at what he wanted her to do. "It's okay. Everything will become clear when you speak to her."

Madison tentatively took the phone and put it to her ear, hearing rustling in the background. "Hello?"

"_Who is this?"_ asked Gabriella, confused. _"Is Troy there?"_

Madison didn't speak. She replayed Gabriella's voice in her head, seeing revived memories fill her brain. She saw trips to the playground, the zoo, bedtime stories, and a pair of blue eyes and brown eyes smiling when they saw her.

Troy watched Madison and immediately felt his heart pound hard when she began crying and shuddering with her cries.

Gabriella heard silence, wondering what was going on. _"Hello?"_

Madison bit her lip, slowly falling to the floor. Troy rushed over to her and put his arms around her gently, his tears falling when she put her head on his shoulder.

"Mommy?"

Gabriella stammered. _"I-I'm sorry? What did you say?"_

Troy leaned toward the receiver, sobbing softly. "Gabriella, it's Madison. She's alive. She remembers us."

The next thing they heard was a sob from Gabriella and the call of her daughter's name through her tears.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is NOT the end of the series. There is much more.**


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_4_

Troy took the phone gently away from her hands as he held his daughter in his arms, allowing her to cry at the revelation that had just occurred in a matter of seconds. He sniffled and caught his breath so he could speak clearly to his wife.

"Do you believe me now?"

"_This can't be true. She's-I mean-How-?" _Gabriella was completely overwhelmed that she couldn't remember what she had been doing previously before the call.

"Honey, calm down. I know this is a lot to take in, but-"

"_I don't believe it. I can't." _There was a pause. _"I'm sorry."_

Troy nearly lost his heartbeat when he heard the click of her phone. She didn't believe him, even when he had proof. What was he going to do now?

Madison looked at him, wiping her eyes. "What's wrong? That was my mom, right?"

"Of course." Troy looked down at her. "But, she still doesn't believe it."

She stood up and paced back and forth, rubbing her head. Obviously she felt rushed with all this new information, but she already knew by Gabriella's voice that that was her mother. You could never forget a mother's voice.

"I remember her, though. Everything." She looked at Troy, who had stood up to watch her. " I remember you, daddy."

Troy held her hands and kissed them reassuringly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll get her to understand. She needs to see you in person."

"You mean, I need to leave this town?" Madison began shaking her head. "No, I can't. I'm not allowed."

"Who says?"

"_He _does!"

"Who the hell are you?"

Both father and daughter turned to see a stocky man with a shiny, bald head staring at Troy with confusion and Madison with anger. He shut the door behind him and set down the bag of groceries that he had been carrying. He walked towards them slowly, looking at Madison.

"Madison, who is this?" asked the man.

Madison looked at her father, not sure what to say. Should she say that Troy is her father or just a detective? She didn't want to make this man angry. She'd done that too many times to count, even when she had done nothing wrong.

Troy looked at her then at the man. "I'm Detective Troy Bolton." He held out his hand politely, but pulled back when the handshake was not returned. "I was asking her about the invasion last night."

"We don't know anything about that invasion," he said. "Please get out of my house."

He looked at Madison. "I need to take Madison with me to the station."

"What for? She didn't do anything!"

Madison played along, though. "I think I should go. The house wouldn't be too-"

The man grabbed Madison's arm, turning her towards him. "You are not going anywhere, young lady." He then proceeded to touch her cheek. "You have some summer studying to do."

Troy inwardly growled and pushed the man up against the wall, gripping his collar. He began seething through his teeth. "You stay the fuck away from my daughter."

Madison watched the scene unfold before she rushed to her bedroom and began packing a suitcase. She had to get away from this house. It wasn't the right environment for her and she knew that from the beginning, but she had always believed that this man was her father.

She had been lied to for ten years.

She began to hear shouting, cursing, and grunting. Somebody was getting hit, but she wasn't sure who it was. Fearing for her father's safety, she grabbed her packed suitcase and rushed out into the living room. She gasped when she saw her father grabbing his jaw and wiggling it around. He didn't seem to be affected by it that much, though he did have a slight bruise on his cheek.

"Daddy?"

The stocky man looked at Madison and looked at her pleadingly. "I'm your father, Madison. I was the one who watched you grow up into a beautiful woman."

Troy glared at him, knowing what he truly meant behind his phrase. "Madison, get in the car."

"Don't listen to this man. You don't know him. He doesn't know you like I do."

Madison looked at him, using the one ounce of courage that had appeared for the second that she had left. "Which is why I'm getting in the car."

Troy watched her grab the dog before hastily leaving the house. He then turned his attention back to the man in front of him. He clenched his fists threateningly.

"I know what you've been doing to her."

"You don't have proof. I would never hurt my daughter," he said.

Troy scoffed menacingly. "She is _not _your daughter. I don't know what kind of fantasy you have, but you will never have her. I protect my family at all costs."

He watched as Troy pulled out his cell phone, speed dialing a number. "What are you doing?"

"I'm having you arrested."

"You can't arrest me without proof!" The man chuckled, shaking his head. "You can call the cops, but you won't be able to prove anything."

"I have my daughter's word against yours," he said.

"_My _daughter won't testify against me. She knows better."

Troy then pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and turned him around, smashing his stomach against the wall before handcuffing his wrists together. After reading him his Miranda rights, he only had one thing to say before he heard the cops of the local town arrive.

"You will never touch my daughter again."

* * *

Later that afternoon after having the man, whose name was Greg, dropped off at the LAPD station, Troy took Madison back to his and Gabriella's house so she would know that nothing had really changed since she left. Hopefully, she would remember a few more things.

He knew he would get a mouthful from Detective Jamison, but he needed to get Madison situated in everything first. He would prove he was right on a later date. It was all about his daughter now.

Madison walked through the front door, holding onto her dog. She looked around, vaguely recognizing the features of the house. She looked at the kitchen and remembered a few moments where she would beg for Lucky Charms instead of Cheerios for breakfast. She peered into the living room and reminisced the times where she would watch hours and hours of Sesame Street. So much that her mother had to drag her away from the room for bed.

"Do you want to know anything?" asked Troy, offering to take her suitcase.

"I'd rather wait until mom comes home." She paused, though. "Is she coming home?"

"Hopefully, she will. There is nowhere else for her to go, unless she drives to Albuquerque to her parents' house."

"Grandma and grandpa." Madison smiled, looking away. "I remember them. We'd visit them over the summer and you would tell me about these places that you and mom went to when you were dating."

Troy smiled. "That's true."

"When is the last time you saw them?" she asked. She set her dog down, watching as he began sniffing around the house frantically.

"Actually, we haven't seen them in a few years. They call occasionally, but after what happened we just lost touch. Gabriella was still coping with your disappearance. We both were."

Madison sat down on the living room couch. "What happened?"

Troy sighed heavily and sat next to her. "We were fighting a lot and we didn't sleep in the same bed for a while. Your mom was very depressed when they didn't find any leads on your search."

"Did you guys almost divorce?"

He shook his head. "No. We took up counseling so we could avoid that and we got better. But now, things might just be back to normal now that you are back."

Madison smiled and looked down. "Hopefully." She bit her lip. "What's going to happen to Greg?"

Troy sighed once again. "I don't know. This will more than likely be taken to court and you'd be asked to testify."

"You mean, tell everybody what had happened?" She shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not? You can at least tell me," he said. He looked at her with concern.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she furiously shook her head. "You would be so disappointed in me."

"No, I would never be disappointed in you. Honey, I love you. I always have." He held her hand. "Tell me."

Madison sighed and rubbed her head, struggling to find the words. She stammered before sighing in defeat. "I just want to go to sleep right now. I'm sorry."

Troy sighed, knowing this would happen. It had seen this kind of behavior from young girls at the station who were victims. He just never thought his daughter would one of those girls.

"You can sleep in the guest room for a few days."

"The guest room?" she asked.

Troy nodded. "Unless you want to try and fit into your five year old bed." He chuckled lightly.

Madison shook her head, smiling weakly. "I don't think I would fit anymore."

"Don't worry. Me and your mom will redecorate your room. Any preferences?" he asked, standing up to lead her to the bedroom.

"I like the color yellow."

"I should have known you would still like it. You'd never stop drawing with the color yellow. Even on our walls," he laughed.

"Did it ever come off?" She smiled.

"After a few 100 scrubs," he shrugged.

* * *

Later that evening, the front door finally opened to reveal Gabriella after a terribly long day. She sighed as she threw her things to the ground, rubbing her head. She could use a stiff drink after what she had to endure.

"Honey, is that you?" Troy walked into the kitchen quietly, giving his wife a small smile.

Gabriella looked at him and sighed, rolling her eyes. "Troy, please don't say anything. I'm not in the mood to hear anything that you have to say."

Before she could walk away, Troy grabbed her gently by the shoulders. He ignored her protests. "Look at me. I'm your husband. I know we have gone through some rough shit, but I would never lie to you. Especially when it comes to our daughter."

"I told you, Troy. She is-"

"She's upstairs sleeping."

Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

Troy held her hand and led her upstairs quietly. He gently opened the guest bedroom door and peered inside, seeing their daughter was still sound asleep with her dog cuddling to her side. He looked at Gabriella, who was very confused.

"Who is that?"

"That's your daughter," he whispered.

Gabriella looked at Troy before walking slowly into the bedroom. She went to the side of the bed and knelt down to her knees, peering at the girls' face. She took in the cheekbones and olive-toned skin that she had. Her lips were curved into a slight smirk that was permanent.

Suddenly, her eyes opened at the presence that she felt in her sleep. She sat up, noticing her mother right in front of her.

That's when Gabriella knew it was her daughter, once she looked at the familiar pair of blue eyes that she had seen on Troy's face for many years.

She covered her mouth in shock as fresh tears began to spill over.

Madison scurried closer to her mother. "Mommy."

All Gabriella could do was pull her daughter into the most unbelievable hug she had ever given. She clutched her daughter tightly, worried that she would disappear again.

Troy had been telling the truth the entire time and she had refused to believe it. She should have known that he wouldn't deliberately lie about this. Yet, she refused to accept the truth.

Her daughter was really alive and well.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, after much reconciliation and love, the couple put their daughter back to bed as she had had a very powerful day. They walked into their bedroom together, though they never touched. Troy watched as his wife changed into her long nightgown and got under the covers.

She looked up at her husband, who had his hand in his pockets. "Are you coming to bed?"

"You're not gonna have me sleep on the couch again?" he asked.

"Definitely not." She watched as he slipped out of his clothes, leaving his body clad in boxers. He got under the covers and spooned her to his body.

"Troy, I'm sorry for not believing you."

"It was hard to believe it, I know. But, we have her back now."

Gabriella turned around and hovered over his body. "We do. We have our daughter back."

Troy nodded and smiled, bringing her down for a kiss as they began the old journey that had once shared long ago in making love.

* * *

**Author's Note: It's still not over.**


	5. Chapter 5

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_5_

The next morning, Troy woke up to the sound of rain hitting the bedroom window with a thousand beats. He furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed his face, not enjoying waking up to sad weather.

He suddenly began to remember the previous day, after looking over to see his naked wife beside him once again.

They had finally been reunited with their daughter after ten years.

However, Troy desperately wanted to get answers out of Greg. Why had he taken his daughter?

Troy had dropped Greg off at the station, having him spend the night in the holding cell. He never told his co-workers what had happened previously, but he decided he would explain later. Especially to Detective Jamison, who would obviously not be happy with him this morning. But either way, he would confront this man and demand answers.

His family deserved that much.

He felt a rustle. "Honey, I'm going to check on Madison."

Troy turned to see Gabriella already had her nightgown and robe on her body. "Okay."

He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "It wasn't a dream?"

Gabriella smiled and walked over on the side of the bed before kissing him. "No."

* * *

Gabriella walked into the guest bedroom, seeing her daughter already awake and watching television. She looked up at her mother and smiled, turning off the set. "Hey."

"Hey, sweetie." She sat on the edge of the bed. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept okay. It's a lot comfier than my old bed." Madison bit her lip.

Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows. "Really? Why's that?"

She faltered a bit before speaking. "More plush. So, are you gonna go to work today?"

"No. I'm going to take a few days off. I figured we could spend those days together so I can find out what you have been up to." Gabriella smiled. "We can go out to dinner with Troy as a family."

"Does he work today?" asked Madison.

"Yeah, he always has to work." Gabriella sighed softly.

Madison looked at her mother. "Does that make you sad that he has to work every day?"

"Not completely, but I just hope he will find more time to spend with you. You know, he's going to be investigating this case heavily."

"I know." She sighed. "Will I have to testify or something?"

"If it goes to court, yes. But, we have a great lawyer who will prove his actions guilty." Gabriella smiled.

"Good." Madison looked at her mother. "I want him gone."

Gabriella looked at her daughter with concern. "Did he do something to you, honey?"

"I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go back to sleep for a while." Madison put herself back under the covers, holding her dog close to her.

"Okay." Gabriella sighed, pursing her lips. She got off the bed and headed towards the door.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" asked Gabriella, looking back at her daughter.

"Can we go shopping for my room today?"

Gabriella smiled and nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Troy put the coffee on as he began straightening his black tie that was around his neck. He grabbed the newspaper that he had retrieved from outside and began rifling through it, reading about any interesting stories. He heard the sound of the stairs creaking and looked up to see Gabriella descending down.

Gabriella looked at her husband, who was already dressed and ready for work. "That was fast."

He shrugged. "I don't want to miss a second of getting this bastard."

"Troy, why don't you skip work today? Madison and I are going to shop for her bedroom."

Troy shook his head, putting his coffee in a plastic cup. "I can't. I'm not going to miss this opportunity to get this guy in jail forever. Plus, Jamison is probably desparate to question me."

Gabriella sighed and nodded. "Alright."

He looked at his wife, noticing her sad expression. He walked over to her and held her close to his body. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want you to get so consumed in this case. Madison knows she will have to testify, which means she will be talking about something that she won't even tell us herself." She paused. "Troy, what did this man do to our daughter?"

Troy sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. But, I'm going to find out." He kissed her lips before giving her forehead a hard kiss. "I'll be home soon."

"Okay. Don't be home too late. We should all go out to dinner."

"It depends on how late everything goes. I'll call you later."

She watched her husband shut the door behind him before sighing and sitting at the counter, beginning to flip through the newspaper.

She only hoped her husband wouldn't get too consumed with his work.

* * *

Troy arrived at work with a flurry of co-workers coming up to him, demanding what had happened yesterday. He simply shook his head and waved them off, saying he couldn't talk about it right now. Though, they continued to ask for answers.

He walked into Jamison's office and shut the door before sitting in the chair. He looked at the detective, holding his hands out. "Go ahead."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking at him with a blank face.

"I know you want to know what the hell happened yesterday. Go ahead and ask me so I can prove you wrong about everything." He shrugged. "And, I'm sure you want to know about why that man is in our holding cell."

"I would like to know that, but what exactly are you proving me wrong for?"

Troy held a slight smirk. "I found my daughter."

Seeing his detective's continued blank expression, he nodded. "Yeah, that man had her this entire time. I don't know what he has done to her, but I plan to find out. He has claimed that Madison is his daughter, but she is mine and Gabriella's. It is evident on her features."

Detective Jamison sighed, placing his fingers on his cheek. "So, what are you asking me?"

"I want that bastard in the questioning room so I can get some answers. You can watch me to make sure I don't do anything stupid. If I do, you can remove me and place him back in the holding cell."

"Not unless he is guilty of something," said the detective.

Troy furrowed his eyebrows. "What? He is guilty of kidnapping my daughter and, possibly, a ton of other things."

"We can't place him under arrest unless we have actual proof that he really did kidnap her. You need to get evidence from the park where she was kidnapped. Was anybody there that may have seen her get abducted?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I remember seeing the ice cream man that day, but that was ten years ago. How do we know that he is still working?"

"Go to the park after questioning Greg and look for him. Surely he will be there around lunchtime."

Troy nodded and got up, leaving the room. He proceeded to the questioning room and waited for Greg to show up. Nearly a minute later, the door banged open as a police officer threw Greg inside. He collided in the chair and groaned, clutching the table.

"Hey, bastard."

"You have no right to call me that," said Greg, making himself as comfortable as possible in the metal chair.

Troy crossed his arms. "I can call you whatever I want. You are a bastard for kidnapping my daughter."

"I told you. She is _my _daughter."

Troy slammed his fist on the table hard. "Quit lying! I have proof she is my daughter and once we get proof about the kidnapping, you will go to jail."

"You can't prove anything."

"I'll prove you for more than that. What else did you do to my daughter?" Troy looked at him, pure malice in his dark blue eyes.

Greg looked at Troy, shaking his head as he smiled. "All I did was show my daughter the love that she deserved, whether she wanted it or not."

Troy glared at the man before flipping the table and pushing Greg out of his chair into the floor. He grabbed onto his shirt and lifted him up, pushing him against the wall. "What did you do to my daughter, you sick bastard?!"

Detective Jamison rushed into the room with several police officers who began holding Troy back. "Troy, stop it!"

"What did you do to my daughter?!"

* * *

**AN: Sorry to keep you guys waiting. And for those who have been waiting for the next chapter of _At First Sight_, you can expect a brand new, juicy chapter tomorrow! This is a promise, considering I have the outline completed. I promise a good chapter that has been long awaited for.**


	6. Chapter 6

___I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long to come up. No, I did not have writer's block. I'm glad I didn't, but I hate that I took so long to write this. I'll do much better in updating, I promise. Enjoy this chapter and I appreciate those who haven't abandoned my stories!_

* * *

_6_

Madison brushed her fingers against a woven bedspread on a display bed in Target, deciding whether or not she wanted to go with a light color or a dark color. Her mood at the moment was more in the middle. Her min was continuously rushing through the different scenarios that had occurred in the past twenty-four hours. She had learned that her "father" wasn't really her father. She had been kidnapped when she was only five years old. Her father had been searching for her for ten years and her mother had thought she lost all hope.

Her mother.

They say babies bond with their mother in the first three minutes when they are in the womb. But, right now, Madison never felt so far away from her. Sure, she was finally reunited with her and she showed her all the love she could. But, she didn't know that much about her.

How was her job doing?

Did she have a secret sibling?

Did her mother even like the dog she had?

She remembered Troy telling her that Gabriella had a hard time dealing with the disappearance and she wondered if she had ever given up. She wondered if her mom gave up too soon in knowing if she was really alive.

"Honey?"

Madison turned around with a startle, seeing Gabriella approach her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Mom, did you ever give up on me? When I was gone, did you think I was dead?" asked Madison, looking down at the bedspread again

She sighed and pulled her daughter in for a hug. "Madison, you listen to me. It was very hard while you were gone. We had to deal with this tragedy for ten whole years. Your father is a lot stronger than I am and he never gave up. Deep down, I didn't give up either."

"You didn't?"

Gabriella looked at her daughter. "I would always pray that you would some how come back to me. Even at five years old, you were such a strong girl and you still are. You would survive and come back to me, to us."

"I'm sorry I let him take me," she whispered, choking back tears.

"Oh, Madison. It is not your fault. You're back with us now, and we'll never let that happen to you again," she said.

Madison nodded and smiled, holding onto her mother's hand. "I love you."

Gabriella grinned tearfully. "I love you, too." She took in a breath and exhaled it loudly, keeping her smile. She glanced down at the bedspread. "So, is this the color you want? Sky blue?"

She looked down at her and nodded, feeling her spirits brighten along with the color. "Yes."

* * *

Troy crossed his arms over his chest before glancing at his watch, seeing it was nearly five minutes until noon. He was waiting in the park for the ice cream man so he could figure out if he had seen any suspicious activity the day Madison was kidnapped. This was the only person he knew of that had been near the scene. This man was his only hope.

Suddenly, the sounds of a cheerful tune sounded throughout the park. Little children began shouting and rushing towards the noise as a white van with different pictures of different flavored ice cream and cartoon characters appeared around the corner. The van stopped and a window flew open, revealing a jolly man with a knob mustache. To Troy, he looked like a bald and beardless Santa Claus.

He waited until the children were gone and then rushed towards the van before he could leave. "Excuse me?"

The man held a rag in his hands and looked up, grinning at Troy. "Hello, sir! What flavor would you like today? We have a special on the Nutty Cone!"

"No thank you," he said. He held up his badge, causing the man to falter a bit from his jolly mood.

The man held up his hands warily. "Please, sir. I would never do anything wrong."

Troy chuckled lightly and shook his head, putting the badge away. "I don't mean any harm, sir. I need to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows with concern.

"It was last summer about ten years ago. You were here at the park when a child was kidnapped, right?"

He sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. Have they found the little girl?"

Troy nodded. "That little girl was my child and I, including my wife, was there when she was kidnapped."

The man looked at him in surprise and sorrow. "That was you with your wife? Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. But, I want to know if you saw the man who had taken her or if you saw anything suspicious before she was kidnapped." Troy began to grow hopeful for the right answers.

He sighed and shook his head. "I never saw the man. I was busy handing out chocolate ice cream to these two twins and they began fighting over them. I only looked up when I heard your wife screaming for your daughter."

Troy's hope soon diminished. He sighed and looked down, shaking his head. "Thank you, anyway."

"I'm glad your daughter is back, though." The ice cream man smiled at him before shutting his window and driving off slowly.

Troy rubbed his eyes and groaned with frustration. Before he thought he had lost all hope in finding proof, he felt a presence next to him.

"Excuse me? Were you talking to that man about the kidnapping that happened ten years ago?"

He looked over to see a young woman who looked to be no more than twenty-five years old. He nodded. "Yes. Why? Were you there?"

She nodded and Troy noticed that her posture seemed very shut down as she had arms securely crossed over her chest, as if she was hiding a secret. "I saw everything that happened that day."

* * *

Gabriella waited outside of the _Crabtree_ restaurant downtown. She was dressed in her finest red dress and black, silk wrap. She continued to check her watch as she stood with Madison, who was wearing black dress pants with a cream shirt and cardigan. Her eyes stayed focused on the ground.

"Where is he?"

Gabriella sighed, shaking her head. "I left him a message telling him to meet us here. I don't know where he could be."

* * *

Troy sat across from the woman he had met in a booth at the local diner. They were both drinking coffee as they went over the details of what happened ten years ago. He waited for her to begin as she continued to look around warily as if somebody was watching her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come up to you. It could be a bad idea," she said.

Troy looked at her. "No, please. This is really important to me. I want this man put in jail for what he has done to my daughter."

She sighed and smoothed out her blonde curls, putting them up in a bun. "Well, you should know that your daughter is not the first person that this guy has taken and claimed as his own."

"What?"

She bit her lip nervously. "When I was thirteen years old, I was walking back to my house after hanging out with friend at her house. It was dark and there was nobody in sight. I heard a guy whistling and I turned around. He looked surprised and then asked me what my name was. I wasn't sure at first, but I told him. I thought he might have been a friend of my dad's or something. When I said my name, he acted like he knew me. He said I was his long lost daughter or something."

Troy shook his head, appalled at the nerve of this guy. "How did he kidnap you?"

"I tried to get away, but he kept dragging me toward him with his same story. I kept shouting, trying to get the neighbors to hear me, but nobody came out."

By then, the woman was crying at the memory of her tragedy. She wiped her nose. "I was reported missing the next day and they found me two weeks later. The guy got away, though." She paused. "His plan must not have worked that while since I was a teenager. But, your daughter was so young and she wouldn't remember that much."

"Did you see anything suspicious that day?" asked Troy.

She nodded. "I was running on the sidewalk when I just felt a chill go up my spine. I stopped and looked around before I spotted this bald man with a sly look on his face as he stared at your daughter. I knew it was him by just looking at his face. I don't know why, but I just stood there as I watched him go up to your daughter while you and your wife were distracted. He smiled at her and said something to her and before I knew it, he had whisked her away while she giggled as if it was an adventure."

Troy sighed, his heart throbbing with pain at the truth of what had happened and the memory of that fateful day. "Why didn't you report to the police when the news broke out?"

"I was scared. This man is not all that you think he is. He is much worse than you think." She wrapped her arms around herself warily.

He furrowed his eyebrows with frustration. "What did this man do? Did he do this to my daughter?"

"Wherever he lives at, it's not a regular house. I can assure you of that. You need to go to that house and dig deep. Look for clues or any hidden rooms. He has secret rooms. He did last time."

"Secret rooms?" Troy sighed and shook his head, knowing exactly what that meant. "I can't believe this."

"I'm sorry you have to find out like that," she said. She then stood up quickly. "I have to go. It's getting late."

Troy stood up, confused. "Wait. I need you to come to the police station tomorrow and prove all of this really happened."

"Prove it? I did enough by telling you this in person!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "I can't go to the police. I _know _you have that bastard there."

"No, I had to let him go because there was no proof." He walked toward her. "Please. I need justice for my daughter."

She looked at him before shaking her head, tearing up. "I'm sorry. I can't."

Troy sighed and nodded. "Well, at least have my card in case you change your mind."

She nodded and accepted the card. "Goodbye..."

"Troy."

"Denise," she said before leaving in a hurry.

* * *

Gabriella sighed as she stopped the car in front of a stop light, shaking her head. She looked over at Madison, who had fallen asleep on the car ride home. After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes in front of the restaurant, they decided to head home. They didn't deserve to be stood up, especially Madison.

She looked over and furrowed her eyebrows, seeing the diner and Troy across the street. She saw him sitting across from somebody before the figure stood up, revealed to be a blonde woman. She watched as they continued to converse closely before Troy handed her his card, watching her intently.

Gabriella looked away and nearly choked on her breath. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. She never thought Troy would have the time to pull off something like that, let alone pulling it off at all. There was too much to lose, especially right now.

She shook her head and drove off toward the house, leaving Troy behind at the diner and her broken heart with him.


	7. Chapter 7

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get out! Don't forget to check out my new story, "Burning the Flame"._

* * *

_7_

Troy opened the front door and walked into his house that evening, sighing as he set his keys down on the kitchen counter. When he turned on the light, he gasped in surprise when he saw Gabriella sitting at the kitchen island in her robe. He clutched his chest to stop his pounding heart.

"Jesus, you scared me."

She continued to look at him tersely, not making a sound.

Troy furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"You tell me, Troy. Why don't you tell me why your daughter and I were waiting at the restaurant for over an hour? Or, how about why I had to see you at the diner with some other woman?"

He sighed heavily and shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "Gabriella, I didn't know about dinner. I'm sorry. I haven't checked my phone all day."

"I don't care as much about the dinner. I care more about you being with another woman when your family is in desperate need of repair." She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Repair? Gabriella, I am trying to repair it. I'm trying to bring justice, alright?" He went to the refrigerator and rummaged for something to drink.

Gabriella scoffed and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket, tossing it at the refrigerator. It hit the door with a splat, creating a mess and scaring Troy to oblivion. "I'm so fucking tired of you focusing on this case, Troy!"

Troy set his water bottle down on the counter and shut the door with a heavy slam, creating a slight chaos of glass bottles inside the refrigerator. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I'm focusing on this case so we can end it!"

"It ended for me when Madison came home! I particularly don't like that she was kidnapped by some psycho, but I am at peace now that she is home, Troy!" she exclaimed.

"Mom? Dad?"

The couple turned their heads to see Madison at the foot of the stairs in her pajamas, reminding them of the five year old that would come to them when she had a nightmare. They both sighed, but didn't move from their spots.

"Madison, honey. It's late. Go back to sleep," said Gabriella, rubbing her face with exhaustion.

"I can hear you guys fighting. It's about me, isn't it?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm causing such a burden to this family."

Troy walked towards her, bringing her down the stairs. "Madison Lorae Bolton, you are not a burden." He led her to the couch and sat down next to her, holding her hands. "Don't you ever think that."

"Then, why were you guys fighting about me? I've never heard you guys scream at each other like that, not even when I was little. You never even had arguments when I was around." Madison looked down.

Gabriella sat next to her husband and daughter, putting her arms around her. "Madison, it's just a frustrating time for us. We just got you back and we're trying to figure out the next step."

Madison took a pause before looking at them. "Are you going to get a divorce?"

Troy looked at Gabriella and began to think about everything that they had been through since Madison had disappeared. They had had arguments, separate sleepovers, and silent dinners. Yet, they had made it through all of that. He looked at his wife then his daughter and said, "No."

Gabriella nodded in approval. "Your father and I love each other very much. We have since we were teenagers. We've made it this far and we aren't stopping anytime soon."

"What about me? Are we ever going to recover from all of this?" asked Madison.

"Of course," said Troy.

* * *

Later that evening after putting Madison back to bed and cleaning up the apple mess in the kitchen, Gabriella and Troy headed to their bedroom to get ready for bed. Troy watched his wife from the bed as she removed her robe and slid in under the covers, snuggling up to her husband.

He smiled and kissed her cheek, holding her close. "That's where you belong."

"Yeah." She paused. "Troy, I'm sorry."

"Me, too. I hate it when we argue and there is no reason for us to be arguing when we have our daughter back. We can't put her through that," he said.

"I just want to know one thing, though."

"What?" asked Troy.

"Who was that girl you were with?" She turned to look at him. "You weren't cheating on us, right?"

Troy sat up, furrowing his eyebrows. "Gabriella, I would never cheat on you or our family. You know that."

"Then who was she?" she asked.

He sighed. "She told me she was at the park when Madison was kidnapped."

Gabriella sat up in alertness. "What?"

"When she was thirteen, she was kidnapped by the same man that took Madison. He said she was his daughter, just like Madison. She was found two weeks afterward, but he got away. She said she recognized him immediately when she saw him in the park. Apparently, he walked up to our daughter when we weren't looking and whisked her away with a bunch of inhumane promises and laughter." He shook his head in disgust. "There's more."

"What else is there?" she asked, her hands shaking.

"She told me that he had secret rooms at the house and that he may have had them again when he took Madison."

"Secret rooms?" She paused, thinking about it before gaping at him in horror. "You mean, he could have-" She shook her head and stood up out of bed, pacing back and forth. "Oh my God. This man has done things to our daughter. He…I don't know...I just…"

Troy stopped her and held her to him, trying to calm her down. "Honey, shhh. Don't think too rationally."

"How else should I think?" asked Gabriella, looking at him through her tears. "Secret rooms? Come on, Troy!"

"Gabriella, look. There is still a search warrant on that house. I'm going to go there tomorrow and check it out thoroughly. I need to know what else is in there," he said. "I think, if I find anything, we should take this to court and stop him for good."

She uttered a gasp. "Troy, are you sure? Do you think we can win?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Troy looked behind him at the quiet neighborhood that surrounded the ill-forsaken house he was about to enter. There was nobody around as he opened the door and drew out a firearm, just in case he was hiding out here. He looked around the living room, seeing it complete empty except for the furniture. It still showcased pictures of Madison with Greg, smiling to the camera. He sneered and began smashing all the pictures to the ground, knocking out the fake images that Greg created.

He moved to the kitchen, pointing his gun every which way he turned. Dishes were clean and foods were put away in an orderly fashion. It looked like a regular kitchen in any household. He maneuvered to the dining room, seeing it completely empty; not even a table. He wondered what the room was used for.

He headed towards Madison's room, seeing that it looked exactly like a teenager's room. It had posters of boy bands, stuffed animals, girly prints, and sunshine streaming through. All of her belongings, though, were where they belonged.

Beside her bedroom was Greg's room, which looked completely bare except for an oak bed and a large dresser with a mirror. He glanced under the bed to see if there were any secrets, but found none. He stood up and sighed heavily, cursing under his breath. There weren't any other doors in the house.

Where were those rooms?

He suddenly heard a faint thump and jerked towards the living room, aiming his gun. He walked slowly and stopped, hoping to hear the noise again. He stomped his foot on the floor until he heard the noise again. It was associated with a slight muffle.

"Greg," he sneered.

He looked down towards the noise and removed the rug from underneath his feet, revealing a door latch. He carefully lifted it, emitting a slight creak from the wood. He grabbed his flashlight and shined it down the hole, seeing nothing but stairs. He aimed his gun and slowly moved down the steps, aiming his flashlight in different directions. He saw a table that was bare except for a filthy, lace cloth. One side of the wall held shadows of tools, though when he got closer, he noticed they were not ordinary tools. There was a crowbar, a whip, a paddle, and what looked to be a ball gag.

Troy knelt down, having to remove the image of his daughter being forced with these tools. He shut his eyes tightly to prevent the frustrated and angry tears from spilling. He was about to leave to remove the painful sight until he heard the same noise and muffle again, this time louder.

He stood up and turned around, aiming his flashlight and gun. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw multiple cots that looked very uncomfortable. He heard the noises again and realized it sounded a lot like a voice.

"Hello?"

The muffle sounded again. He hurried to the other side of the staircase and nearly dropped his gun and flashlight at the sight. One single cot was occupied with straps being tied at the ankles and hands to each bed post so the legs were spread, a gag around the mouth, and duct tape on her forehead that was strapped down to the bed.

It was a stark naked, little girl.


	8. Chapter 8

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical.__All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental.  
_

* * *

_8_

Troy put down his gun and held his flashlight up, shining it at the little girl who looked no older than nine years old. She had tears running down her dirt-stained face, her brown hair was in desperate tangles around her face, and she was completely bare and open to anyone who walked in.

He carefully walked over to her and gently pulled out the gag and ripped off the tape on her face. She immediately began screaming for help as she struggling against the straps. "Help! Somebody help me!"

He gently shushed her as he began to tie off her straps. "Shhh! It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a cop."

"I need to get out of here before he comes back," she whimpered, rubbing her wrists. The straps had left harsh marks on her wrists and ankles. She looked at Troy with uncertainty. "Don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you, honey. My name is Troy. How long have you been down here?" he asked, murmuring an alert into his walkie-talkie.

She shook her head. "I can't remember anymore."

"Did anybody else come down here?"

She scratched her head, leaving an array of white flicks. "I remember one girl had been down here a few weeks ago. She was strapped to the bed just like me."

"What did she look like? Is she here?" he asked.

"She had dark hair, blue eyes, and was older than me. She hasn't been back since then. I don't know what happened to her after that."

Troy closed his eyes quickly. "What did he do to her?"

She shut her eyes, which were quickly filling with tears. She shook her head. "I can't tell. He made me promise."

Troy sighed and took off his jacket. He zipped it up around her body and picked her up, cradling her against his body. He let her cry on his shoulder as he strapped his gun back to his belt and quickly headed upstairs. Almost immediately, he could hear the approaching sirens of the cops and ambulance. He headed towards the front door, which burst open with force. Cops from the LAPD and the local town emerged with their guns pointed. They lowered them once they saw Troy and the little girl.

"Good God, Bolton. What's happened?" asked an officer.

Troy handed the little girl to an EMT, who quickly guided her outside to the ambulance. He shouted orders to his partner as he strapped her to a gurney. Troy simply looked on once he was outside. He had tears in his eyes as he watched the ambulance drive away, its sirens wailing. He could see all the neighbors coming out of their houses, wondering what was going on.

"Bolton." Detective Jamison approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

He looked down. "You guys need to go down the stairs in the living room. You…I don't know. You just need to investigate every corner."

Jamison nodded before leading his boys into the house. Troy picked up his cell phone, speed dialing his wife's number.

"Gabriella? No, I'm not hurt. But, you need to get to the Tulelake hospital. There is something you need to see."

* * *

Gabriella held Madison's hand as they rushed through the hospital in Tulelake. They looked around frantically at the rushing doctors and babbling nurses. Other people were waiting in the visiting room while other patients were wheeled around in a hurry or just to get some exercise.

Gabriella stopped at a desk and pounded it with her hands hard. "Please, I need some help. I need to know where Detective Bolton is."

"Gabriella. Madison."

They turned to see a tired Troy rushing toward them and enveloping them both in a hug. He kissed their heads and pulled back, though Madison held her grip around her dad's waist. Gabriella looked up at him, evident worry across her face.

"What happened, Troy?"

He sighed. "I went back to Greg's house to see what else I could find. I found a secret room that has the worst things that you could possibly find."

"Like what?" she asked.

Madison let go of Troy and looked up at him. "You found that room? How?"

Gabriella looked at Madison curiously. "What room? You've been in there?"

"I found a little girl strapped to a cot," he said. He put his head in his hands, rubbing it furiously.

Gabriella placed her hands over her mouth and held back her tears, shaking her head. "Oh my God. Is she okay?"

Madison shook her head as she looked at her father. "Lily."

Troy looked at his daughter, his wife following his actions. "You know her name?"

"That's what Greg would always call her when I'd see her. He would make me promise not tell a soul about her or anything that he did," she said. "I can't believe she is alive."

Gabriella held her daughter and sighed. "There are so many unanswered questions."

Troy continued to look at Madison. "Madison, you know this girl? She told me you have been in that room."

"She did?" Madison suddenly looked nervous and finally relief when a doctor approached them.

"Detective Bolton." The doctor flipped through his papers before looking at Troy.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She is going to be alright, but we had to do a few tests on her to find out what exactly happened to her." He paused somberly. "We found out that she had been sexually assaulted by the man. Greg."

Madison turned away. Gabriella couldn't hold back her tears any longer as she cried on Troy's shoulder. Troy exhaled a shaky breath. "What about her parents? Does she have any?"

The doctor sighed and looked down. He then looked back at the couple. "We did our research as vastly as we could. We found at that her parents had died in car crash about a year ago. She has no other siblings or relatives in Tulelake or nearby."

"She's homeless," whispered Gabriella, wiping her tears. She looked at Troy. "What do we do?"

"Detective Bolton, she is asking for you." The doctor nodded once before leaving them.

Troy looked at Gabriella and Madison before walking towards Lily's room. He quietly knocked on the door before walking in. She was lying in the bed with IV's hooked to her arm, her face clean from the dirt, and her hair slightly wet. He determined that she must have been given a shower by the nurses.

She looked over at him. "Troy."

He smiled at her, getting on his knees and kneeling by her bed. "Hey, Lily. How are you?"

She shrugged, messing with the covers. "I'm okay. I'm just waiting for my parents."

Troy sighed and looked down. "Lily? Your parents aren't coming."

Lily furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him with confusion. "What do you mean they aren't coming?"

"They had to go away for a while," he said, not sure how else to explain it to her. She was only a little girl.

Tears began to build in her eyes. "Where am I going to go? I can't stay here. I can't go back to that house."

"You won't have to, Lily." Troy sighed and held her hand. "You can stay with me."

"You?"

He nodded. "I have a lovely wife who will take care of you and we have a teenage daughter."

"Any pets? I like animals," she said, smiling lightly. It was her first smile in a long time.

Troy chuckled. "Well, my daughter brought home a dog."

"I like dogs."

* * *

A few hours later, after many questions and very few answers, the Bolton family returned to their home that evening. Madison quickly went upstairs, much to the confusion of Gabriella and Troy. They both sighed and sat at the counter, staring off into space.

"Tory, are you sure about this? I mean, can we handle another child at a time like this?" asked Gabriella, looking over at him.

His tie was disheveled and his hair was in an array of sorts. He looked completely worn out. "Gabriella, she has no other family. She is all alone."

She sighed. "I know. She's so fragile, Troy."

"We'll take care of her," he said, looking at her. Troy held Gabriella's hands in his lap. "Gabriella, you're a wonderful mother. She will love you and trust you. It's the right thing to do so we can keep her safe and healthy."

Gabriella sighed before nodding, giving him a small smile. "Okay. Does she know what happened to her?"

He shook his head. "No. I don't feel comfortable telling her that. It would be too much for her. She is only nine years old."

"Okay. But-" Gabriella was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She got up and answered the door, being bombarded by the flash of cameras and video cameras in her face. Microphones and recorders were pushed towards as a million questions were thrown at her.

"Mrs. Bolton, how do you feel about your current situation?"

"Mrs. Bolton, what does your daughter have to say about the little girl?"

"Mrs. Bolton, did Madison have the same experience as the little girl?"

Troy rushed towards the door, shaking his head in frustration at the reporters. "Get out of here!"

"Mr. Bolton, how is this affecting you?"

"Mr. Bolton, what are you going to do about the little girl?"

"Mr. Bolton, have you caught the man yet?"

"Mr. Bolton, how is this epidemic affecting your marriage and your relationship with your daughter?"

Troy glared at them angrily. "I said get the fuck out of here!" He slammed the door and sighed running his hands through his hair. He could still hear the reporters outside asking questions. The flashes came through the windows. He knew all of this would be on the news.

Gabriella looked at him. "This is going to go nationwide, Troy. You know it. It's going to be like it was with Madison's disappearance. CNN will be all over it, the local news, everything."

He nodded and sighed. "I know that." He looked at her. "They aren't going to stop asking us questions. But when they do and we have no choice but to answer, you need to just be calm and short. Don't give them any information. We can't disclose anything. We need to protect our family."

"And, Lily." Gabriella nodded.

"Lily is a part of our family now," said Troy.

Gabriella nodded quickly and smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "She is. When do we bring her home?"

"The doctor said we can bring her home tomorrow. We need to take her by the adoption agency." Troy sighed. "Madison needs to come with us, though. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone."

"Me either. She knows Lily, too. And, I know she is hiding something from us. She is hiding information," she said.

Troy nodded. "I know she is, but she will tell us when she is ready."

"What if she doesn't tell us until the court date? Do you know how heartbreaking that would be?" asked Gabriella.

"It's already breaking our hearts," said Troy.


	9. Chapter 9

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_9_

Madison sat up in her room, staring blankly at the wall ahead. She could hear the muffle of her parents' voices, followed by the sound of shouting and a door slamming. She got up and went to her window, seeing the vast amount of reporters trying to get a picture. She knew everything would be on the news sooner or later. But, the only thing she was worried about was the safety and security of Lily. She was only a little girl who couldn't possible handle this kind of media sensation.

Madison remembered seeing her for the first time. Lily had been a new neighbor across the street and came over to bring cookies as a heartfelt greeting. She had been only eight years old, carrying the large plate. Greg had invited her in and, when Madison had been held up in the bathroom getting ready for bed, she was gone. Greg had told her she had to make it home in time for dinner. She knew it was a lie even before she saw her in the basement. And it wasn't like she didn't want to tell the police. Her parents, more than likely, tried to look for her. But, whenever they would knock on their door, Greg wouldn't answer. He wanted to keep his "privacy". That was why she wasn't allowed to use the phone. When she was on the news earlier that month, she kept telling herself to act natural when they asked her about the house next door. But, once she got back inside, she had gotten her punishment. The thought of it made her tear up.

A knock on her door sounded before it opened, revealing Gabriella. "Hey, sweetie."

She tried to give her a believable smile. "Hi. Is dad okay?"

"Yeah. We were going to see if you wanted any dinner. Your dad is grilling burgers outside," said Gabriella.

Madison shook her head, sitting on her bed. "No, thanks. I'm not too hungry right now."

Gabriella sat down with her on the bed. "Madison, you know you can talk to us about this. Right?"

"You know I want to," started Madison. "But, I just can't. I don't know how to tell you everything. I haven't seen you guys in ten years and you just expect me to jump right out with the entire story. I don't even remember some of it."

Gabriella was hurt that her daughter felt this way, especially when she thought she couldn't trust her parents. "Madison, regardless of how long we have been apart, you know you can trust us with anything that you say. We're here to listen."

"I don't need you to be a therapist, mom." Madison stood up and walked over to her window, looking out at the array of reporters. "How long are they going to stay out there?"

Gabriella looked at her from the bed and shrugged. "As long as they want. We can't exactly drive them away without it being on the news."

"Lily doesn't deserve this. We don't deserve this." She shook her head as one of the reporters nabbed a picture of her. She shut her blinds furiously and groaned in frustration. "This is completely stupid! Why did this even have to happen to us? Why did you have to go to the park that day?!"

Gabriella stood up, bewildered by her daughter's behavior. "Madison, I-"

"Why are you the only one coming up here? Why doesn't dad come up here and talk to me? Why doesn't he spend time with me? Why didn't he come with us to get my new bedroom?" She asked, gesturing to her new room around her. "Isn't he happy that I am finally home?"

With tears in her eyes, Gabriella held her crying child in her lap, rocking her back and forth. "Listen to me. Your father and I both love you very much and we are happy that you are finally home. Don't you ever think different. He is working very hard to make everything better."

She paused. "Madison, you don't have to talk to us right now. You tell us when you are ready."

Madison sighed. She knew this would all go to trial now that they had evidence of what was going on. If she couldn't tell her parents the whole truth, how could she tell a room full of strangers?

* * *

Troy brought a plate of patties into the kitchen after simmering the grill. He looked up as Gabriella came downstairs alone. "Where's Madison?"

Gabriella took a seat at the island in front of the other burger necessities. "She said she isn't hungry. Save her a patty, though."

He nodded as he began fixing their burgers. "I can't believe all this happening."

"I know," agreed Gabriella. "We're both stressed from all of this. I'm still out of work."

"You need to go back soon, honey." Troy looked up at her briefly as he fixed her burger.

She shook her head. "No way. I need to make up for lost time with my daughter." She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. "I think it is you that needs to make more time for her, actually."

"Gabriella," he sighed. "I told you that I am trying to bring justice for our family."

"I understand that, Troy." She accepted the burger he handed her. "But, you didn't hear what Madison told me a few minutes ago. She thinks that you aren't happy that she is home."

He looked up with furrowed eyebrows. "What? Why would she say that?"

"Why do you think, Troy?" She gestured to the reporters outside. "Look around. We are in a warzone here with the media and this guy. And, you are putting no focus on bonding with your daughter. We haven't seen her in ten years, Troy. We have missed so much of her life."

He sat next to her. "You think I don't know that, Gabriella? I realized that the moment I saw her teenage face. But, this guy had birthday photos and acted like her father. I can't kill the guy so the best I can do is throw him in jail."

"And, what is going to happen then? Hmm? What if it takes too long to get him in jail and, during that time, you lose all connection with your daughter? During that time, you ignore her for some case." She paused before hitting the counter. "Again!"

Troy looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember when she was turning four? I had this wonderful surprise party for her with all of her friends in the backyard, a playhouse, and a Mickey Mouse cake? I told you at work that you needed to be there by five and you said you would be there."

"I was there," he said.

Gabriella shook her head. "Hardly, Troy. You were so hooked on some case at the station that you missed her blow out the candles and make a wish. You know what she wished for?"

Troy stayed silent, not meeting her eyes.

"She wished that her daddy loved her. She thought you didn't love her because you never showed up to her party. And, when you came home, she was already in bed and everything was gone. It was like the party never happened. You just made some excuse about working late. You didn't even apologize."

"You know I'm sorry!" exclaimed Troy. "I had to work late, Gabriella. We were making a breakthrough and-"

"This is how you get, Troy! You get so focused with your work that you completely ignore your family!" she yelled.

"This is my case to fix, Gabriella. You don't understand. She is my daughter and I want to put this man behind bars. It is my responsibility," he said, glaring at her.

Gabriella sighed once the phone began to ring. "Troy, you aren't seeing what I am seeing. Madison needs both of her parents. Not just me." She stood up to get the phone.

"Gabriella, I'm not blind. You know I am trying to spend time with her. Lack of hours at work won't bring any money." Troy looked away from her as she answered the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is the Bolton residence." She paused before furrowing her eyebrows. "I don't understand. She was-" Troy looked at her with concern as he slowly began to stand up. "Are you sure?" Her voice as wavering as tears filled her eyes. "We'll be right over."

He watched her hang up, her hands trembling. He rushed over to her. "Honey, what is it?"

Gabriella clutched at his arms to keep her balance. "I-we-they-"

"Sweetheart. Baby, tell me." His blue eyes searched her face.

She looked at him, tears falling from her eyes. "Lily has fallen into a coma."


	10. Chapter 10

_I do not own the characters of High School Musical. All events, actions, and names are entirely fictional and any similarity is purely coincidental._

* * *

_Author's Note: Hello, hello! It's been a while, right? It feels like months since I updated, but here it is. I hope I didn't disappoint. This story is about halfway through. More drama, tears, and love. On another topic, "Fighting Fire" is just beginning its steps to becoming a novel. I have it starting out the way I want it to while still being faithful to its original version. Also, my e-book will be available NEXT WEEK! I will post its link on my page when it is up and ready. I hope you will love it. Keep checking my main page for any other updates and follow the twitter account that is linked, as well. I will post more on my stories there. (:_

* * *

_10_

With nightfall already behind them, Madison and her parents rushed into the hospital after the longest ride of their life. They didn't know how or why. Lily was in a coma. They didn't understand. Everything just seemed to be going in the wrong direction lately.

Even Madison had noticed it with her parents. She had heard their fight earlier and it scared her. She thought that it would bring them closer if they were together. But, it was only tearing them apart. She didn't know what to do about it. She even wondered if it was her battle to fight. She didn't know anything about relationships.

She stayed behind as her parents rushed to the receptionist, rambling on and on in mixed questions about Lily.

The receptionist held up her hands. "Okay! One at a time, please." She gestured to Gabriella. "Yes?"

"I got a call about Lily. We admitted her early today and we were told she fell into a coma. I need answers, please!" begged Gabriella, her face stained with tears.

The receptionist typed on her computer and nodded. "Go to the third floor. She is in room 9A. The doctor will be available to talk to you."

"Thank you," said Troy, rushing after his already running wife. He stopped and turned to see that Madison was standing in her spot. "What's wrong?"

Gabriella looked back as the elevators opened. "Guys?"

"I'll be there in a minute," said Troy. He walked over to Madison. "Honey?"

"Am I your daughter?" she asked.

Troy furrowed his eyebrows incredulously. "Of course you are. What kind of question is that?"

Madison shrugged. "I heard you and mom fighting downstairs. She told you what I told her. I just want to know the answer. The truth, you know?"

Troy sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "Madison, you are my daughter. And, I am so happy that I found you. But, I am trying to bring our family peace. It starts with that guy being in jail for the rest of his life. The media is on our case, too. I'm just trying to keep everybody safe."

Madison nodded, though with half a heart. "Okay."

Troy kissed her forehead before tugging her along to the elevators. The entire way, though, Madison couldn't help but feel like her question had still been rejected.

Three floors up, the two found Gabriella talking animatedly to a doctor up the hall. Her hands were shaking and flailing as she argued with him. He tried to calm her down, but it was no use. Troy walked up to them after telling Madison to sit for a few minutes.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

The doctor sighed. "Your wife is jumping to conclusions. There was no head injury or heart problem." He paused. "It was her nutrition."

"What? How is that possible?" asked Gabriella.

"Lack of nutrition, or malnutrition, can cause a person to fall into a coma. We rarely have these cases, but the best we can do right now is surgically put a feeding tube into her system and make sure she gets that nutrition. Surely she will wake up. But, it's up to her body. We estimate that she hasn't been properly fed in months," he explained softly.

Troy sighed heavily. "God. Well, how long?"

"It could be days, weeks, or months." The doctor gave them a somber look. "You are more than welcome to stay in her room overnight. We can gladly bring in extra chairs for you."

"Of course." Gabriella nodded. "Thank you."

The doctor walked away. Troy sighed again. "I'll stay. You need to go home with Madison. Get some sleep."

Gabriella, still mad at him over their previous argument, shook her head. "No. You need the alone time with Madison. I'll stay with Lily."

"Gabriella, don't start this again."

"What is it, Troy? Do you not love our daughter anymore? Is that it?" she asked in a whispered growl.

Troy glared at her, pointing a deathly finger at her face. "Don't you _dare _question the love for my daughter, Gabriella."

Gabriella's heart stopped. Troy had never taken that tone with her, nor had he ever looked at her like that before. She stepped back speechless and shocked. Troy seemed to have realized his behavior and dropped his finger quickly. He shook his head.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I-"

"Go home," she said. She looked at him with a blank face. "Madison will stay with me. I don't need her viewing you like this."

"Gabriella-"

"I said go!" yelled Gabriella, earning a few looks from people around her.

Troy sighed and walked away, glancing at Madison's bewildered face. He walked passed her and headed for the exit. He knew he had crossed the line. Now, what?

* * *

The next morning, Troy walked into work with a sullen expression. His tie was loose around his wrinkled shirt and his pants were from the laundry bin. Honestly, he had no use in looking his best after the night he had. The house had been so quiet and dark. The bed had been so uncomfortable without his wife. Fighting with her like this brought up too many dark memories. He didn't want it to be like this.

Detective Jamison stopped in front of him, taking in his appearance. "Dear Lord. What happened?"

"Things are just getting difficult," murmured Troy.

"Would this be a bad time to say that Greg is here?" he asked.

Troy looked up with a sneer. "Absolutely not. Where is he?"

Detective Jamison gestured towards the back. "He is in the questioning room. I'll be there in a few minutes on the other side." He paused. "Don't do anything stupid this time. This is your last chance." He began to walk away, but stopped again. "Oh. We found a lot of evidence at the house that we can nail him with. It's sealed in your office."

Troy nodded and took the next few steps and turns before he finally entered his office. He noticed the large baggie filled with smaller baggies on his desk. He shut his door and took out a pair of gloves on his shelf. After slipping them on, he opened the baggies and started observing. The first baggie held a small shirt with a blood stain on it. He picked it up and took in its faded pink attire. It obviously belonged to a small child and there was a hole inside the stain where the chest would be located.

This child had been stabbed or shot.

He put it back and opened the other baggie, taking out a large knife with blood coating it entirely. This man was a mass murderer for kids. He had to control his breath as he took out the last piece of evidence. He almost fell to his knees when he saw it to be a photo of Madison when she was five. But, this photo was taken the same day that they were at the park. There was a red 'X' on it, too. Why would that be there, though? He suddenly noticed a box in the corner. He put the photo back in the baggie and walked over to the box. He opened it and found a corkboard. He pulled it out and gasped.

There were over thirty pictures of little girls in their toddler years and their teenage years. Almost all of them had the same mark over their photos. The only one that didn't have an 'X' was Lily. There was one pin at the very bottom that was still there, obviously being Madison's spot. She was to be his next victim to die. He put it away quickly and took off his gloves. He strode out of his office quickly and headed towards the questioning room. When he arrived, he finally saw the man.

Greg sat there, looking at him as if he was terrified of his position. Though, he could see right through it. He'd get him to drop that demeanor in a second.

He pulled out the metal chair and sat down. "Greg. We meet again."

"I don't deserve to be here," he said. His eyes told a different story.

"Shut up." Troy paused. "I know what you did to Lily."

"Lily? Who is Lily?" he asked.

"Don't lie to me!" he yelled. "I went into your house and found your little trapdoor. I found the girl strapped naked to the bed. She is at the hospital in a coma because of malnutrition," explained Troy.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," said Greg.

"I've seen the evidence. You are busted, Greg. Why don't you explain the t-shirt with the blood stain on the chest?" asked Troy.

Greg suddenly became smug and chuckled. "Evidence, huh? You really think you have me, Bolton?"

"You killed a little girl. You either shot her or stabbed her. My guess is you stabbed her, considering the bloody knife that we have. Why?" demanded Troy.

"I plead the fifth," he said quietly.

Troy growled. "Why do you have a picture of my little girl?"

"Madison? That's my little girl. Not yours," he said.

"There's a red 'X' over her face. You have tons of little girls with the same symbol, except Lily. What does that mean? Are all those girls dead?"

Greg glared at him. "I plead the fifth."

Troy banged his fist on the table. "No more lies! We have you pinned, Greg. Tell me the fucking truth! Were you planning to kill my daughter and then Lily?"

Greg leaned forward. "How is my daughter? Are you treating her the way she deserves? With affection, love, soothing touch-"

Troy stood up and knocked the table over the side. "Get me out of here before I kill him!"

Detective Jamison and a few police officers came in and took Greg away, who continued to shout.

"How's that wife of yours, huh?!"

Troy punched the wall and groaned, knowing it would bruise later. He looked at the detective. "I want this man in jail for life!"

* * *

Gabriella looked at Lily that morning. She had slept in one of the chairs while Madison slept in the other. They had both been quiet the entire time, thinking. Gabriella wanted to know more. She wanted to know what had happened to her daughter.

"Madison?"

She looked up from her magazine. "Yeah?"

She faltered a bit. "What happened to you at that house?"

Madison cleared her throat and sat up straighter. "Mom, nothing happened."

"You're lying. I know you are. The way you talk to Lily about it? You need to tell me," she said.

"Why?" asked an exasperated Madison.

"Would you rather tell me or a room full of strangers during the trial?" Gabriella shook her head. "I want our relationship back, honey. It's not moving forward if you won't talk to me."

Madison knew she should tell her mother, but it was just too hard. However, she didn't deserve to be in the dark about it. It wasn't fair to her. She had been so good through everything.

But, she just wasn't ready.


	11. ATTENTION!

I am FULLY aware that this is not a new chapter, but I have MAJOR news!

My very first e-book is NOW AVAILABLE at the affordable price of $2.99!

Here is the description:

* * *

_Roman and Ella are in love, striving in a beautiful relationship. But, when she breaks his heart and moves away, he struggles with continuing through life as himself. _

_Just when he thinks his life has no meaning anymore, he sees her three months later._

_Yet, she doesn't remember anything about him or her life._

_Roman struggles to make her remember, causing his life to go into a whirlwind of events. He is suddenly pursued by God to make the right changes in his life and with Ella._

_Follow Roman's journey in the past as he relives the first few months of his relationship and strives to keep his relationship with Ella intact. Even if it means risking his own life in the process._

* * *

The story's title is "Fate". The chapters do go into detail, but they are not long chapters. Though, there are a lot of chapters. There is romance, drama, suspense, and family issues.

I have worked months and months on this story and I am so proud that it is finally finished. This is only the beginning. Also, there is a special thank you to my readers on Fanfiction. This is all for you guys. Thank you so much for being there for me! (:

books/view/344239


End file.
